1andrew1

That's interesting and puts another complexion on things.

After the negative news generated by Warley and Hattons, good to see some positive news.

Thanks for sharing. I think there's a typo about Flint being one mile from Liverpool (more like 21) but fundamentally an informative article. I found this bit interesting. Presumably Fremont is where they're running MB Klein from now.

It's bizarre especially as the Class 66 gets Railroad level pricing. Maybe the new team is adhering to the status quo but will look at this in the future?

I think that might go for the newer entrants like Accurascale and Rapido. I would expect retailers to have a higher share of orders for Hornby locomotive orders than they do of the newer entrants. That's simply because Hornby have been around long enough to sign up deals with most retailers; the new entrants are still building up their retailer accounts. Accurascale have acknowledged this and are keen to build their retailer accounts.

Just seen this pop up for Monday evening.

Interesting. Pricing certainly seems something the new Hornby Hobbies Management Team is paying attention to ad this came across in post-announcement interviews with the Airfix Team. I'm guessing that the range could not be produced cheaply enough to compete with the lower priced offerings so it's back to the drawing board which is a shame.

It could have been greedy executives wanting to charge higher licence fees; we simply don't know. But Bachmann is a logical licence holder as it is strong in the US and UK whilst Hornby is just strong in the UK with a good European footprint.

Sometimes it's what they don't say that's important. No mention of Playtrains (aimed at 3-6-year-olds) which Simon and Montana talked about last year. Now, confirmation the range has been discontinued. I wonder If the old regime may have given the range longer? https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/news/Hornby-announces-the-end-of-playtrains/#:~:text=Hornby announces the end of Playtrains - World Of Railways

Both, but sometimes the royalty rates and different distribution channel costs can eat into the profit margin.

I'm no fan of them for myself but I can see that Hornby might view them as a tool to get new modellers into the hobby.

10 brand new moulds this year (6 x 1:72 scale, 1 x 1:48 scale 3 x QuickBuild). And confirmation that there will be some surprise releases this year too, as there were in 2022.) Under Hornby Hobbies, Airfix is thriving and has far more newer moulds than under Humbrol's or Palitoy's ownership.

Agreed.

Taken offline so Hattons can reprice them for the sale? A very sad 'end of an era' day. I used to live near Penny Lane in the mid-90s so like others today, remember their physical shop. Respect to Hattons' owners for having the courage to close down the business and not wait until it went to the wall. I wish the talented staff well; it must be awful for them given the fact that the company seemed to be expanding and had invested in systems to charge EU and Australian taxes. Hopefully, good practice and experience in the UK won't be wasted and can be shared with their US sister company https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/

The announcement is on Tuesday so plenty of time for last-minute posts! ;) That being said, with Hornby's commitment to announcements outside their traditional January window, a record number of manufacturers in the market and subjects covered, plus cost of living concerns, I can understand that modellers' interest may be less than what it was in the past.

I think it's small at the moment but certainly less crowded than the UK market and will only grow. Here's a shop, the loco in its logo should be familiar https://trains4u.in/ I think this is a manufacturer https://www.thepinkengine.com/

In its last accounts, Hornby had set up a subsidiary in India. That makes sense as the Airfix kits are manufactured there. I wonder if it might be tempted to launch an Indian outline Hornby range there too?

That's interesting too and has logic. If Hornby Dublo is sufficiently profitable then there is still a case to be made for having it as a fourth range focused on collectors. And what of Playtrains? . Is it a good attempt to get children into model railways? Or is yet another brand and system made by Hornby that makes the proposition more confusing? There's also the situation of the other brands. What's Oxford Rail's role? Is it there as a small nimble agile mover to compete with the likes of Accurascale and Rapido in the lower-run areas? Or something to be sold back to the founder in due course? And can Basset-Lowke now be retired given that the Steam Punk range did not take off? And then there's the European brands. Does Hornby need so many? At they very least, does it need both Lima and Rivarossi in Italy? Could Rivarossi be used for all Continental models? Or is there still still strong brand value in Jouef, Electrotren, Lima and Arnold?

Lots to read and unpick here. Full report here. I see that third party revenue for the UK business increased by 4% in the period but generated a loss before taxation of £5.0 million compared to a £2.3 million loss last year. I guess that was a lot of stock being sold off cheaply. Interesting to see: "rekindling some lapsed relationships with valuable National retailers, and adding additional, sector specific, independent retailers to our portfolio." "We have developed some prototype entry-level priced Hornby train sets and Scalextric sets that were well received when presented to potential buyers at the New York Toy Fair at the end of September. "Exceptional costs during the first half year were £0.05 million (2022: £0.2 million) and these comprised of one-off costs relating to the departure of 2 senior executives." "Ultimately, we will see the structure of the Group evolve from a traditional corporate hierarchy, towards a confederation of semi-autonomous, brand-focused, business units. This approach will give those at the coal face greater autonomy, accountability and capacity to obsess about the brands and how to drive growth in distinctive ways."

35 Airfix kits currently in stock at Hobbycraft. No Hornby, Humbrol or other Hornby Hobbies brands. https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/search/?q=airfix

From what I've read elsewhere, Airfix has a broader distribution network than Hornby Railways and includes multiple wholesalers. The Hobbycraft arrangement is probably a direct arrangement between Hornby and Hobbycraft. Airfix is the biggest kit brand in the UK so would doubtless be Hobbycraft's first choice, instead of Revell as present, if the margins were right.

Shopping centres are looking for new tenants, so this could fill a gap in major cities if the costs worked. Westwood is a cost-effective location and keeps all staff save Oxford Diecast under one roof but I agree that Margate is on a limb for 95% of the population.

I agree with you on its location being an issue. There was a plan to relocate its predecessor to Margate town centre which would have made it more accessible.

Oxford Diecast confirmed that some projects were paused including the crane. They seem to suggest it's the next rail project after the J26. See 1:08:13 onwards. https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1OyKAWMPPlLJb

I would call this a spoiler alert 😂